BYU’s Synthesis Performs with Top Jazz Artists Marcus Roberts, Todd Williams

Jazz pianist Marcus Roberts will address students and faculty across campus in a BYU Forum on Feb. 25

The School of Music’s premier big band Synthesis will perform with jazz giants Marcus Roberts and Todd Williams as part of the annual BYU Essentially Ellington Jazz Festival.

“There will be a lot of variety and some really phenomenal guest artists,” said Synthesis director Ray Smith. “Todd Williams is a brilliant saxophone player and clarinetist who played with the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra, and Marcus Roberts is recognized as one of the truly great jazz pianists today. During the 2002 Olympics, Marcus came with the Utah Symphony to do ‘Rhapsody in Blue.’ I happened to be playing with the symphony and was sitting right behind him, and his was the most amazing version I’ve ever heard.”

Smith hopes that his students will have a similar experience as they are able to observe Roberts and his trio on stage and learn from him in clinics prior to the performance.  

“He’ll have musical comments to make which will be instructive in our rehearsal, but I think the real inspiration will come from seeing somebody at that caliber play so closely,” said Smith. “And then actually being able to play with him is really priceless.”

As with any Synthesis concert, Smith hopes that audiences are uplifted and able to catch the unique vision of jazz music.

“They’re going to enjoy the spontaneity and creativity that’s part of a jazz concert,” said Smith. “There’s a lot of improvisation — a lot of things that have never happened before and a lot of things that won’t happen quite that way ever again. It’s always an adventure, and I hope that audiences come away having experienced that adventure with us. That kind of inspiration extends beyond music and enriches our lives.”

The Essentially Ellington Jazz Festival comes on the heels of the band’s concert with Doc Severinsen and Sean Jones, which closed the BYU Trumpet Festival earlier this month. Synthesis will continue a full semester of performances with a March 7 concert featuring top jazz vocal group New York Voices and a March 14 appearance in the BYU Winterfest concert series at the Conference Center Theatre.

Students and faculty across campus will have the chance to hear from Marcus Roberts in a BYU Forum on Feb. 25. The forum will be broadcast on BYUtv.

Tickets and Show Details

Performance Dates and Times: Feb. 21-22 | 7:30 p.m.

Location: de Jong Concert Hall, Harris Fine Arts Center

Price: $7-11

Tickets: Available in person at the BYU Harris Fine Arts Center or Marriott Center Ticket Office, by phone at (801) 422-2981 or online at byuarts.com